1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to office products and in particular to loose-leaf binders and an associated method and apparatus for manufacturing improved loose-leaf binders.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the introduction of computerized word processing equipment into the work place, many experts predicted that office environments would soon be "paperless", with all "documents" being stored in computer memory instead of being printed and stored in a more conventional manner in files and filing cabinets. However, this prediction has failed to materialize. The introduction of computerized word processing equipment into the office place has resulted in a colossal increase in the amount of paper being generated.
One unforeseen result of the utilization of computer-generated word processing equipment in the office has been the introduction of a variety of type faces, some of which are quite crowded. Storing any document, but especially those documents containing a large amount of fine print, by conventional means would result in the punching of holes into the document which impairs the completeness and integrity of the document. Under modern office practices, such a destruction or degradation of an original document is becoming viewed as being unacceptable. Consequently, many entities which keep and store large volumes of original documents have turned to a variety of commercially available document archiving office products which simultaneously preserve original documents in an unmodified form, while allowing the documents to be maintained and arranged in an orderly fashion which facilitates later retrieval and use of the document. Experience has revealed that the kinds of document archiving office products which are most effective are those which include tabs along the right hand edge in order to facilitate the utilization of an organization scheme for the documents. Alternatively, and more commonly, document archiving office products can be utilized in combination with tabbed index sheets, and thus need not necessarily carry their own tabs.
The present invention is directed to an improved method of manufacturing binders, an apparatus which may be utilized during operations for manufacturing binders, and the improved binders themselves, all of which facilitate the utilization of document archiving office products, and in particular tabbed document archiving office products.